Super Bowl a super slowdown for business?

Sean F. Driscoll @SeanFDriscoll

Sunday

Feb 4, 2018 at 3:00 AMFeb 4, 2018 at 6:26 AM

No matter how the Patriots fare in the Super Bowl tonight, Monday morning may be a tough day to get much business done at New England businesses — and it may mean a multibillion-dollar loss in productivity nationwide.

That's according to Challenger, Gray and Christmas, a Chicago-based global outplacement and executive coaching firm, which crunched some numbers to figure out just how much talking about, and recovering from, the game slows down the nation's economy. Based on a 2016 survey showing that 16.5 million workers would plan to take the day after the Super Bowl off, absenteeism on Monday could cost a little more than $3 billion in lost productivity.

And if everyone rolls in an hour late, or spends their first hour of the day rehashing the game? There's $1.7 billion and change down the drain, according to Challenger, Gray and Christmas.

The numbers sound big, but in reality if they did pan out, it would still be but a blip on the national economy, said company vice president Andrew Challenger.

"It's certainly not going to show up in any kind of macroeconomic data," said Challenger. "It could show up in a (profit and loss statement) for a company if they're really affected for the week, but even that's going to even out."

So the best thing for businesses to do, Challenger said, is to lean into the hype and make it fun for their employees — especially if they're one of the 7.6 million workers in New England or 2.9 million workers in Philadelphia.

"There are ways to embrace it, to bring some of that magic into the workplace," Challenger said. "In a lot of ways, it's a free or low-cost way to bring people camaraderie. It's good for the culture, it gets people talking about something other than the daily business. In this really politically divided culture, it's something everyone can enjoy and have fun with.

"Unless you're the Patriots, it doesn't happen that often," Challenger said of a football team going to the Super Bowl. "If you can bring that excitement into your office, it's so great."

That was not a problem for the many businesses on the Cape that allowed their employees to don their Pats jerseys, held cookouts or otherwise celebrated the Patriots' eighth Super Bowl appearance in the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era.

At Convention Data Services in Bourne, the registration and lead-capture service company allowed workers to wear Patriots gear to work and held a two-hour tailgate party Friday afternoon, complete with a fire pit, food and games. CEO John Kimball said the Super Bowl is a big deal for his employees and the whole region, but the party is just one of several similar events thrown throughout the year.

"Our culture is one where we work hard and try to take a break every once in a while to connect with each other and take a breather," he said. "We're looking at this as a chance to rally around the home team."

Although many of CDS' services will have to continue during the party, Kimball said departments are sending their employees in shifts to make sure everyone can get a chance to enjoy the revelry.

"We still have to run a business, but for these couple of hours, it's a chance to decompress," he said.

At Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank, employees have been allowed to wear jeans and Patriots jerseys on Fridays throughout the football postseason, said president and CEO Dorothy Savarese, and potluck lunches and special snacks have popped up as the game has drawn near.

"This is all part of trying to create a great workplace, and some of that involves fun and team building," she said. "And we embrace different points of view — if you're supporting another team, you're free to wear other attire as well."

And if the Pats win No. 6 tonight and kick off another round of revelry for Pats fans, Savarese asked Cape Cod Five customers to please be patient Monday morning if tellers are walking just a half a step slower than normal.

"Please don't talk too loudly," she said.

And she added a bit of advice for her bank branch managers: "Make sure the coffee pots are turned on first thing."

— Follow Sean F. Driscoll on Twitter: @seanfdriscoll.

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